Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the interim report of the inquiry of the Finance and Public Administration References Committee into the Australian bushfires. It seems like a lifetime ago that the bushfires had such a devastating impact, but it wasn't even a full year ago. We had people wearing masks not because of COVID-19 but because the smoke was so bad. We saw heartbreaking pictures of people evacuated off beaches as the flames roared, and it's been such a hard year for so many since then. Over 30 people lost their lives and more than 3,000 homes were destroyed in the six months of the 'black summer' fires. In addition, it's estimated that there were 417 excess deaths because of bushfire smoke exposure, and over 4,000 hospitalisations and emergency department presentations for cardiovascular problems, respiratory problems and asthma because of bushfire smoke. I extend my sympathies to the families and friends of those who tragically passed away, those who were injured or traumatised or lost their homes or livelihoods and those whose health was affected by the fires. I also note that there were over three billion animals killed in these fires. The Worldwide Fund for Nature described it as one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history.

These fires were supercharged by our climate crisis. Despite the devastation we saw in the fires, the Liberal Party is refusing to address the climate emergency. In the midst of a pandemic, a devastating economic downturn and a climate emergency, the Liberal Party is still trying the same old tired ideological approaches. So this interim report into the bushfires is very timely. It presents the evidence that we've heard to date. It presents 13 recommendations, drawing on evidence that the committee has heard. It's important that the government act urgently, before the coming summer, because there are things that the government can do right away that will make a difference for future bushfire summers.

The Greens support the recommendations outlined in this report, but in my comments I want to focus on what wasn't in the recommendations but has been included in our additional comments—that is, the need for urgent action on our climate crisis. The committee received ample overwhelming evidence, very clear and sobering evidence, about how our climate emergency is having a terrible impact on fire conditions. The Climate Council of Australia wrote:

Climate change was the driver of the record-breaking extreme weather conditions that led to the catastrophic bushfires. Any remaining doubt on the clear causal linkages between climate change and worsening bushfire seasons driven by extreme weather needs to be comprehensively refuted in the Inquiry Report.

Just to state the obvious, we know that Australia's actions contribute massively to the climate emergency. The Liberal-National government have done the bidding of their fossil fuel donors and consistently blocked, repealed and undermined action on the climate crisis. If future generations look back they'll ask, 'Why didn't we act earlier?' The answer will be the fossil fuel lobby and their shills sitting in the Liberal party room.

Because of the undermining of meaningful action, Australia is still worsening the climate emergency. We are the fifth-biggest miner of fossil fuels, behind China, the USA, Russia and Saudi Arabia. For every Australian, this country mines 57 tonnes of fossil fuel carbon every year, 10 times greater than the world average. So it's disappointing, given the overwhelming evidence that was presented to the inquiry, that the Labor-majority committee didn't see its way clear to make a recommendation about the urgent need to reduce our carbon pollution to zero as soon as possible. We are completely out of time for half-measures. This is an emergency. We do not have time to wait. It's not a matter of waiting for evidence. The moment is here and the time is now. We need to act urgently to reduce our carbon pollution and meet our commitments under the Paris Agreement. If we act now, we'll still be facing the impacts of the warming that's already baked in, but we can prevent the future warming that is going to make fire seasons much, much worse.

To address the climate emergency, there are two things that we have to do. We must declare a climate emergency. We, the Greens, have introduced the Climate Emergency Declaration Bill 2020, and the parliament should pass that bill. That is one of our additional recommendations in this interim report. More than that, we should enact a green new deal, a government-led plan of massive investment and action to build a clean economy and a caring society. Under a green new deal, the government would take the lead in creating new jobs and industries, getting to zero emissions as quickly as possible and delivering universal services to make sure that no-one's left behind—exactly what the government did not do in last night's budget. Last night's budget was such a missed opportunity. The Liberal Party like to pretend that the reason they're not acting on our climate crisis is some imagined cost, and the Labor Party say that they can't act at the speed and scale needed because they're worried about jobs in mining and burning coal and gas. But, of course, we know that upsetting the big fossil fuel companies that donate to both parties is the main reason that they're not acting.

So it's very clear. If we are to avoid increased, more extreme fire conditions in future years, if we are to avoid a future where last summer's desperate fires are just a taste of what is to come, we need to act on our climate crisis and we need to act now.